31 Days of Warriors and Bandits
by paquerettes
Summary: Tokka Month 2012. A collection of drabbles and oneshots dedicated to Melon Lord and Wang Fire. Expect teasing, fluff, heartbreak and AUs. Day 21: Legend. In which Toph and Sokka are earth and steel, forever and ever.
1. Nicknames

**A/N: it's Tokka Month and I don't know how I'm going to survive. Expect short, crappy drabbles like this everyday...maybe not even everyday. Yes I created an OC expressly for the purpose of this drabble. Please don't hate me if anyone's OOC.**

_October 1st: Nicknames_

Laika peered curiously at the drunk couple trying to make their way out of the cramped tavern, stumbling at each rickety chair placed before the bar. A distinctively water tribe man in a dapper fur-lined suit and a woman wearing a metal-bending police uniform. As a barmaid, she was no stranger to people of all walks of life, but these two seemed especially out of place in a place as seedy as this.

The man caught her eye and grinned, sauntering over and leaning across the bar. Laika rolled her eyes before smiling back.

"Back for, what's this, the 16th drink of the night?" she shouted over the din in the cramped room.

Before he could answer, his companion pulled him roughly by the scruff of his shirt collar. She scowled through rather heavy lids at the young girl behind the bar. Oh, a jealous type, Laika noted.

"C'mon, Captain Boomerang! We gotta go, we got, we got work t'morrow morning," the woman slurred, trying to pull said Captain along but was too drunk to notice that he hadn't budged. She walked out the bar alone.

The man turned to Laika again, smiling like a fool.

"She calls me that in bed too, if ya know what I mean," he snickered.

Suddenly a rumble shook the entire building. A voice rang out across the scared murmurs of "was that an earthquake?"

"SNOOZLES, IF YOU DON'T COME OUT RIGHT NOW I SWEAR YOUR ASS IS RUBBLE."

Laika chuckled. "Does she call you _that_ in bed too?"

The man shuddered and looked at her with the eyes of a sad puppy, starting to lean up from the counter.

"...yes..."


	2. Defiance

**A/N: Word of warning, there will be plenty of AUs this month. Stay a bit. I apologize in advance for too much dialogue.**  
**AU: in which Toph did not escape from her parents to teach Aang earthbending, but agrees to sneak out at night to do so.**

_October 2nd: Defiance_

A pebble sailed through the inky darkness, hitting her window with a clatter. She was up before it hit the ground.

"Pssst, Toph," the idiot whisper-yelled. "Let's go before anyone sees me!"

She slowly pushed open her creaky windows before hissing back a quick "shut up!"

Sokka didn't hear her, choosing rather stupidly to shout back.

"What did you say?"

Toph cursed none to delicately as she felt the rumblings of guards downstairs.

"Look what you've done! You've woken the guards!"

A pause.  
"I've got a plan, but you're not gonna like it," Sokka said slowly, rubbing his chin.

"We don't have much of a choice here, Meathead!"

"Jump."

"WHAT?"

"Jump. I promise I'll catch you. Just trust me."

Another pause. A shuddering breath. More movement downstairs. A blind leap of faith.

And then the material firmness of Sokka's arms around her. Suddenly she remembered she to start breathing.

"GO GO GO!" she cried.

And so Sokka ran out of the Beifong estate red-faced and out of breath carrying a young heiress shouting out taunts in defiance at the guards only now streaming into the garden. He allowed himself a little grin. Who would see him in the dark anyways? Certainly not the blind girl with her arms wrapped around his neck.


	3. Superstition

**A/N: Oh no I'm starting to be super late already. Okay, better late than never? Some background info: Toph and Sokka are in their early twenties, and it's some sort of situation where they are together.**

_Superstition_

Sokka turned his head towards Toph, who had suddenly shifted away from her place in the crook of his shoulder.

"Hm?" he intoned, slightly bemused.

"Hey, do you believe in love, Snoozles?"

Sokka slowly turned to face her. Concern was obvious in his eyes. Toph didn't even like to talk about dates, let alone "love". He scratched his chin thoughtfully.

"No," he decided. "I don't really believe in love. I'm very superstitious about this spirit-y, mumbo jumbo stuff!"

Toph blew out her bangs in frustration.

"Oh yeah? What would you call…our "situation" then?"

"What?" he asked, dumbfounded by her sudden interest in quantifying their relationship.

She jabbed him in the chest none too lightly.

"It's a pretty simple question."

"Um…an extreme, strong…like. Yes. That's good!"

Instead of a bending a rock into his face, like he expected, Toph just snickered and settled back into his arms.

"Ha. Yeah. That's good enough for me."


	4. Relaxed

**A/N: Trying desperately to catch up! I probably can't write anything for Promise tomorrow because of a gross marching band commitment, but I have a pretty good idea. Note that this drabble is not attached to "Nicknames" in any way.**

_Relaxed_

"Don't even fucking touch me."

Sokka dropped his hand, rather scared for his life. Toph had just come home from work, looking even more hard and disgusted with life than usual.

"Um…do you want a drink or something?" he asked meekly.

Her milky eyes softened a bit, and the ghost of a smirk formed on her thin lips.

"You know me too well."

Sokka took this as a cue to return to the regularly scheduled Toph-Sokka antics.

"Yeah, too well. Just don't let my wife get jealous," he quipped as he looped his arm in hers to guide her to the door. To his surprise, she shook him off.

"Don't make it easy for her," she deadpanned as she trailed her fingers along the walls of the corridor leading to the front door. "And I don't need your help."

Sokka let out a tiny sigh. It was going to take more than a single cactus juice on the rocks to get Toph relaxed tonight.

"Okay, fine fine. Just let me pay for the drinks tonight." he offered as he put on his jacket and held the door open for her.

"Oh, you know I can't say no to _that_ kind of help," she muttered, then threw her head back and laughing along with the councilman following behind her.

It would be a while later before Sokka caught himself staring a bit too much at his blind best friend.


	5. Promise

**A/N: This is late for a number of reasons. But mostly because a car ran over my foot and I had marching band until 10 PM last night. I'm terrible with stuff that's supposed to be taken seriously sorry readers. This drabble corresponds with ****_Defiance (Chapter 2)_**

_Promise_

Destiny surely was not her friend today and Toph Beifong knew it.

If destiny had any intention of approaching her in a benevolent manner, she would not be desperately hanging onto Sokka's hand in a one-handed death grip, swinging over the vast flame-kissed ocean near Ba Sing Se.

"Hang on, Toph!" came Sokka's voice somewhere above her.

She dug her nails into his hand, willing herself to hold on a little while longer, for his sake.

"Aye aye, Captain," Toph strained to speak over the roaring of the airships around them.

And suddenly she began to slip. The friction between their hands was almost too much for her.

"Hey, Sokka," she started, her voice high and thin. "Remember when you promised me you would catch me? When we were escaping from my parents?"

"Toph, please," he replied, his voice cracking unnaturally. "Just hold on."

She untangled her fingers from his, feeling the world slip out from above her.

"SEE YA LATER, SNOOZLES!" she screamed, laughing hysterically as she plunged down. Maybe she preferred the nothingness to Sokka's desperate begging.


	6. Disabilities

**A/N: Okay two in a day I'm pretty cool. Also this is a friendly reminder that I like reviews and I don't use punctuation in author's notes.**

_Disabilities_

Toph was accustomed to reverence and fear and awe. And for good reason. The only person that would be completely honest with her was Sokka. He was one of the few that dared call her out on her shit and ground her. She wasn't quite sure if she liked that though.

One day she stormed into his room, completely disregarding the fact that he was still sleeping.

"I'm sick of people treating me like I'm stupid! I'm _blind_! Not some sort of sickly cripple!" she announced loudly.

Sokka blearily rubbed his eyes.

"Toph, you know that it's three in the mor-"

"It's like they don't understand I can see. I can _see_ with my _feet_!"

Sokka groaned dramatically and buried his face into his pillow.

"You know I recall you treating my lack of bending like a disability just about all the time, everyday when we were young." he muttered sleepily.

"WHAT? I was twelve years old you can't compare-"

"I'm just sayin' that you're a lousy hypocrite, that's all. Now if you'll excuse me, Snoozles needs his sleep."

Toph spluttered.

"Fine! I'm leaving! Just remember that I might accidentally punch you in the face in the morning."

He snorted.

"Wouldn't be the first time, cripple."


	7. Crime

**A/N: There was no way I would avoid an opportunity to write a noir AU. Also I've kinda resigned to uploading 2 drabbles every 2 days.**

**AU: Noir, set in Republic City. Toph is the premier private detective who loves nothing better than to flout laws and drink. Sokka is her wise-cracking partner in crime-solving and her voice of reason. The timeline and characters are extremely incoherent. **

_Crime_

Chief Saikhan cursed inwardly as he saw two familiar figures exit either side of an old Satomobile. Quickly, he straightened his scarf and coat, and tried to look as in control as possible.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the blind Miss Beifong and her poodle-pony." he sneered as the detective entered within earshot. Her partner glared right back.

"Hey, shut your trap," Sokka said, shaking out his loose hair. "If your worthless little police force could solve half of the crimes in Republic City then maybe you'd see less of us!"

Toph handed her walking stick to Sokka roughly.

"Alright," she declared as she took off her gloves. "What have we got here? Another gun fight gone wrong? Some sort of mugging?"

Saikhan's eyes darkened and some of his former arrogance vanished. Sokka noted that screens were blocking the crime scene.

"None of those. I'm afraid we've got a new sort of criminal loose in the city. A real sick bastard. Cut this girl clean up with some sort of knife and by the looks of it a torch."

Sokka turned to Toph nervously. A few years in the business, and he was still nervous to examine the scene of the more gruesome crimes. Toph exhaled raggedly.

"I don't like the sound of this," she grumbled. "Sokka, go take a look and tell me everything."

The police chief reluctantly ordered a few police to remove the screens.  
And Sokka felt his heart jump into his throat.

The girl's naked mangled body was horrific. From the looks of it, someone had cut every inch of her body, burned the wounds shut, and repeated the process again. Her face was barely distinguishable, but Sokka would recognize her long, silvery hair anywhere.

"Yue? It can't be her, right?" he whispered, not quite a question, but a prayer.

" 'Fraid it is. Left her father's house last evening to go dancing with some friends, but never came home." Saikhan said, shaking his head.

Sokka looked to Toph, as he always would. Toph would know what to do, right? She always did. His heart dropped from his throat to the pit of his stomach. The hollow, hopeless look in her eyes was unbearable. She shut her eyes, shuddered violently, and snapped her scarf up to cover her mouth.

"I know already that this low-life has got cement for brains," she noted almost off-handedly before turning to start walking towards the car.

"How?" Saikhan eyed her retreating figure curiously.

"They've made this personal to the best detective team in Republic City," the blind detective muttered darkly in reply. "Come on, Sokka. We've got some work to do."

Saikhan furrowed his brow.

"They?" he asked no one in particular.


	8. Touch

**A/N: oh shit I'm 3 days late this was bound to happen though. this is like a 7, 8 chapter thing and it has 1 review. uM guys. help a girl out make me feel loved.**

_Touch_

"Hey, Sokka," Toph started, a slight lilt to her voice. "C'mere."

Sokka looked up warily from a map of the central Earth Kingdom.

"I'm studyi-"

"No, just come here. I want to see something."

"_See_ something?" he deadpanned, before looking down to make a few marks on his map.

Toph groaned, scrunching up her face in distaste.

"That was really insensitive, Snoozles," she noted as she descended from her perch on his desk.

"It's what I do," he replied without missing a beat. He hadn't even looked up from his work, Toph knew, but she just snapped her fingers loudly to get his attention.

"Just let me touch your face," she explained once she knew he was looking at her. "I was thinking, if I could just, you know, feel your face, I could see your face."

It was Sokka's turn to groan.

"You know what?" he exclaimed, as he threw his hands out. "I've been trying to map the middle of nowhere for about seven hours now. I could use some shenanigans. Go for it."

Toph grinned and cracked her knuckles.

"If you insist."

He winced at each deafening crack.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Gently! You want to touch my face, not break it!"


	9. Wanderlust

**A/N: I'm trying really desperately to catch up here. also I'm getting lazy and using other people's ideas I am terrible. and I'm blowing off studying for an AP world history test and english homework to catch up**

**AU: inspired by this amazing idea.**

_Wanderlust_

Wind ruffled Toph's hair as Appa carried them higher and higher. It had been months since she'd flown on the great beast and, as usual, her stomach felt like it was trying to turn itself inside out. She reached out to grab onto something, anything, but instead felt herself digging into Momo's ears. The little lemur-monkey screeched indignantly and scurried away from her. Toph gritted her teeth.

Sokka peered back at her.

"How are you holding up?" he snickered as he noted the pale green tint to her usually ivory skin.

"I hate flying," she muttered darkly, raking her nails across her face dramatically.

"Aw," he said. "Well, at least we're truly going to see the world for ourselves."

Toph winced when he said "see", but chose not to point it out. She held onto the sides of Appa's saddle her knuckles turned white.

"Good point," she commented as casually as she could. "It was hard to stop and admire the scenery when we were being chased by Sparky's sister, Combustion Man and the Dai Li."

"This time, Toph, I promise I'll describe everything to you!" Sokka exclaimed, once again turning around to look at his friend. "It's just you and me against the world again."

Toph savoured the warmth that ran up and down her spine at that moment.

"Yeah, just you and me, Snoozles."


	10. Trial and Error

**A/N: okay now I'm kinda on a roll. this drabble is set when Lin is about 8 years old, or a few years after she's started learning earthbending. and this isn't really tokka. and I wanted to show how Sokka keeps Toph sane. and I wanted to show Toph's flaws too. and Lin and Sokka's relationship. and and and ****_FEELS_****.**

_Trial and Error_

"Try again, Lin!" Toph Beifong bellowed at her sweaty daughter. "And make sure you keep your muscles tense this time!"

Sokka watched from under the shade of a papaya tree in the Beifongs' backyard. He had been watching Toph's training session with Lin for almost four hours and he was beginning to become worries. Lin didn't seem like she'd hold on much longer.

"We've spent the whole morning going over forms and proper stance and you still can't seem to get it right!" Toph all but screamed.

Lin bit her lip. She knew better than to talk back.

Sokka removed himself from his viewpoint and placed an arm on Toph's shoulder.  
"Toph, lay off her," he said firmly. "She's tired."

"She hasn't been able to move a single piece of metal this whole day!" Toph answered defiantly. "She can rest when she's got it."

Sokka gave Lin a knowing smile and a wink. She gave a hesitant smile back.  
"She has to rest now," he insisted. "You once told me your experience with metalbending was trial and error. Your pushing her too hard. She should find out how to metalbend herself and find out what works for her."

Toph fumed. A terrifying growl rose from the back of her throat.

"FINE. Go take a bath or something, Lin, you smell like Sokka's dirty socks," the chief of police said before storming back through the metal back door of the house.

"C'mon, kiddo," Sokka said as he lent his arm to the now grinning Lin. "Let's go wash you off."


	11. Haunted

**A/N: angst because I'm having an angsty day and it's been raining nonstop.**

**AU: Sokka lets go of Toph in the airship scene. 5 years later.**

_Haunted_

He was sitting on a bench in the yard, staring at the dark of the sky again. The stars glimmered and dotted across the night, identical to the sky he had once seen, staring up from his sleeping bag some years ago. But it wasn't the same.

Then, he was a boy. He was young and stupid and careless. He had felt like he had everything under control, that everything was going to be alright. He was fearless. He knew Katara was in the next bag over, just beyond Aang's sleeping form and he knew that Toph was close by, from the proximity of her snores.

Sadly, the universe loved proving him wrong.

He matured. He began to realize his mistakes and see his flaws. He saw how vulnerable and how truly weak he was. But mostly he saw eyes.

He saw Yue's blue eyes fading to gray before closing for the last time. He saw fire reflected in the eyes of the Earth Kingdom refugees. And he saw the crazed fear in Toph's eyes as she had spiraled down into the dark ocean that night.

And now he saw the sky turn shaded every night and smiled when the moon came out. There were too many people he couldn't save in his life, and he made that up to them by spending as much time as he could with them now. He watched the moon every night. He visited his mother's grave in the South every summer. They never did find Toph's body, though, and for the first time in a long while, he took a minute to think about how truly gone she was. Her crooked grin, her curdled milk eyes, her stupid nicknames, they were nothing but stories now. Stories he might never be brave enough to tell.

"Sokka?" Suki called from inside the house. "It's getting late! Come to bed."

He took a minute to forget before standing up and heading in.


	12. Liar

**A/N: jdaksda jesus take the prndl I'm like 5 days behind I don't even know anymore.**

Toph snickered as he nuzzled his face into her cheek.

"Your beard is disgusting," she noted as she pushed him away. "It tickles and it's weird."

Sokka scoffed loudly, and feigned an injured tone.

"I can't believe you would say that. My beard is an integral part of who I am and-"

"Blah, blah, blah," she mocked him in a nasally high-pitched tone. "Less talk, more action."

Toph yelped a little as she was pushed back into the couch by Sokka, who began tickling every part of her he could reach. She let out shrill shrieks while feebly trying to swat him away.

This continued for a few minutes before Toph accidentally earthbent a pebble into Sokka's eye and Katara came downstairs to tell them to "kindly can it". They sat in bashful silence as she lectured them on safety as she tended to Sokka's swollen, puffy eye. Soon enough, though, they were alone again. Toph was surprised when she felt the grating texture of Sokka's beard on her face again.

"ARGH," she cried out as she curled up into a fetal position, gently nudging him with her foot. "Stop that, I hate it."

"You're a liar. You know you love it."


	13. Prank

**A/N: next two will be modern AUs becaUSE I WRITE WHAT I WANT.**

**AU: modern AU. Twas the night before April Fool's, and all through the house, not a person was stirring, except for Toph and Sokka of course.**

_Prank_

"Psst. Hand me the mayonnaise again!" came an urgent whisper somewhere to his left.

Absentmindedly, he passed Toph the jar of mayo, continuing to fill his own donut with the stuff.

This dastardly planning session came every year the midnight before April Fool's day. Once everyone in the house was asleep, Toph and Sokka would sneak out of their rooms to prepare an entire artillery of pranks and gags. This year, they decided to booby trap the entire house with their pranks.

Toph finished cramming mayo into the last donut and smiled wickedly.

"That's the last of them right?" she said, as she cackled quietly.

Sokka couldn't help but grin too.

"Yeah," he replied, cleaning up all traces of their handiwork. "Katara's gonna flip a shit when she eats her breakfast tomorrow. No one will see _anything _coming."

"This means I can go to bed, right?"

She was already heading out the kitchen door when Sokka grabbed her by the scruff of her baggy t-shirt.

"Not so fast," he reprimanded. "Let's do a final check. Saran wrap on the toilet?"

"Check."

"Sticky notes under all the mouses?"

"Check."

"Zuko's car completely covered with fake bird crap?"

"Check."

"All alarms set to dubstep at 6 AM?"

"Check."

"Alright," he gave her a salute. "Get some sleep, soldier. See you on the other side!"

"Aye aye, Captain."


	14. Versatile

**A/N: okay I lied this isn't a modern AU.**

_Versatile_

Sokka withdrew his hand with a jerk as Toph raised her own to slap him. He winced as he realized he hadn't been fast enough.

"Hey, _ow_," he whined as he babied his "injured" hand. "What was that for?"  
Toph gave him one of her signature sneers.

"You know what it was for, you dumbass."

The furrow of Toph's thin brow, the distaste in her eyes, the beginnings of a growl forming in her throat. Sokka couldn't take it. He chuckled and pecked her on the cheek, knowing full well she couldn't stay mad at him.

"Don't be mad. Come on, Toph, I just wanted you to stay!" he wheedled, making his best penguin-puppy face before realizing the action was lost on her.

She groaned loudly and buried her face into his chest to conceal the blush forming on her cheeks. She took a few seconds to enjoy how well she fit into the crook of his shoulder, musing that this was probably the only place she felt at home, where he completely encompassed her.

"How can you be a total sphincter one moment, and a gushy sap the next," her muffled voice came.

"I'm very versatile, you see," Sokka smiled warmly down at his other half and hugged her closer.

**A/N 2: do you know what made Toph mad at Sokka? yeah me neither. also shameless fluff kinda?**


	15. Pillows

**A/N: I have homework kinda? I swear I'll catch up. hahaha promise.**

**AU: modern AU. **

_Pillows_

"Katara, I don't fucking want to be here."

Katara sighed heavily and tapped Toph's scowling forehead lightly with her finger.

"Is it because of Azula and her friends?" she asked, knowing that they had been teasing her younger friend about a crush she wouldn't reveal. "I'm sorry, Toph. I wasn't going to invite them, but they just invited themselves. Azula thinks she can just boss everyone around since her dad's such a big hotshot. UGH."

She tore open a jumbo bag of pretzels quite aggressively and shook them into a big plastic bowl.

"Come on," the older girl said with a tired smile. "Let's go to my room and play some fun games."

"PRANK CALLING?" Toph guessed, excited.

* * *

Apparently, Katara's definition of "fun" differed drastically from Toph's.

"Snakes and ladders is for babies," the blind girl had announced before piling up a mound of pillows to flop down on.

Azula seemed to tolerate the game for a few minutes, but after awhile she started growing restless. Halfway through round 4 of the "intense" competition, she whispered something to Ty Lee that made Ty Lee giggle. Katara side-eyed them nervously.

"What?"

Azula gave her signature smug smile.

"Ty Lee, go call up some boys," she nodded over at her pink-clad friend who was already jabbing away at her phone. "Let's play a real game."

* * *

Within 15 minutes, Katara's room was full of males. Including Sokka, whom Ty Lee had lured from his room.

Ty Lee gave a little "ahem" and the room immediately quieted.

"We've gathered everyone here today to play the best game in, like, the entire universe!" she squealed and clapped. "Spin the Bottle!"

The room erupted in whoops and clapping. Katara looked wary.

"I don't know…" she trailed off. "Some people might be uncomfortable with that."

"Don't ruin the fun, Katara," Sokka rolled his eyes. "You're always such a buzzkill."

"Yup," Toph spoke up from her mound of pillows. "Buzzkill."

Azula narrowed her golden eyes and smiled.

"Toph, would you like to play?" she drawled.

Toph shrugged and Azula took it as a yes.

"Great!" Ty Lee exclaimed. "Let's start!"

* * *

"It's your turn," a dreamy looking Haru said to Sokka as he exited Katara's closet with Ty Lee.

Sokka looked down at the bottle in the middle of circle of people and raised an eyebrow.

"Well, here goes."

The bottle spun and spun. And stopped. And everyone burst out laughing.  
Toph sat up with a grin on her face.

"What? What's goin' on?" she demanded. "Who does Snoozles have to kiss?"

Azula snickered.

"You."

* * *

All Toph could remember the next morning was that she had curled up under her pillows to hide the flaming blush on her cheeks and passed out.


	16. Legend

**A/N: okay so in case you don't know I skipped most of sexy tokka week because as much as I lovelovelovelove smut I have no goddamn clue how to write it. I'll be releasing a tokka fanmix soon to compensate so stay tuned for that. in the meantime KINDA ANGST BUT HAPPINESS AND FEELINGS?**

_Legend_

The crowd's cheering was deafening as their avatar took the stage, wrapped in simple robes of red and yellow. Summer's unforgiving sun beat down on the thousands upon thousands of citizens gathered near the newly named Yue Bay, and excited tremors were felt through the entire landmass.

Avatar Aang cleared his throat and the mass of people immediately hushed. He gave them a welcoming smile.

"Thank you to Fire Lord Zuko for describing what Republic City is so well," he began, steadily. "I'd now like to present the new leaders of our City. These are the people that will shape the future and create a place worth living in!"

Thunderous applause.

Through the detestable haze created by the crowd's vibrations, Toph Beifong felt Aang walking towards her. She smirked.

She felt him place a hand on her shoulder and affix something to her chest.

"Toph Beifong," he announced so everyone could hear. "Chief of Police."  
More applause.

She nodded graciously.

He moved on. A pause.

"Sokka of the Water Tribe, Head Councilman."

Somehow she knew he was looking at her, and the crowd watched as they shared matching grins.

* * *

After the ceremonies, the new Chief and Councilman crashed at the first bar they saw. Toph could never remember many details about that night, the fancy alcohol had went straight to her head.

But sometimes, when she tried, she felt his arm slung around her, a drink in his hand, the stupid sound of his laugh.

"We're legends now," he had told her. "Nothing can touch us."


End file.
